2017 Chevy Volt Premier

Improvements to the 2017 Chevy Volt make it more efficient, safer, and more fun to drive, while further distancing it from the increasing plug-in hybrid competition.

Aug. 4, 2017

Originally introduced in late 2010, the Chevrolet Volt is now a veteran plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that has a lot more competition than when it debuted almost seven years ago. A complete redesign of the 2016 model gave it more than 50 miles of all-electric range—a 25-percent increase over the previous version, and far more than most rival cars. Key driver assists—including adaptive cruise control and upgraded automatic emergency braking—have been added to the 2017 Volt, making it a vehicle that's not only more efficient and easier to drive, but also safer. They also help make it our Editors' Choice for PHEVs.

Pricing and Design

The 2017 Volt comes in two trim levels. The LT starts at $34,095, and the Premier that we tested starts at $38,445. The Volt is eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, as well as various state tax incentives.

All 2017 Volts come with twin electric motors combined with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine/generator to produce a total of 149 horsepower. The car's 18.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack powers the two electric motors and is recharged by connecting a supplied 120-volt portable cord or a professionally installed 240-volt charging system into a lighted plug in the driver's side front fender. The battery fully recharges in approximately 13 hours at 120 volts, or in about 4.5 hours at 240 volts. The battery also charges on the fly by the gas engine/generator through regenerative braking.

The gasoline engine kicks in to help the electric motors when the car requires quick acceleration for passing or climbing steep inclines. The 2017 Volt has a single-speed direct-drive transmission powering the front wheels.

Our test car also had the $495 Driver Confidence option package that includes driver assists such as blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and rear cross traffic alert, as well as the Driver Confidence 2 package, also $495, that adds forward collision warning with automatic low-speed emergency braking, lane departure intervention, and adaptive headlights. Individual options on our test car included $495 to add navigation to the MyLink system, and $20 for a front license plate bracket. With a destination charge of $875, this brought the total sticker to $39,950.

The Volt's exterior, updated in the 2016 model's complete redesign, eschews the self-conscious concept car appearance of the original in favor of looking like a modern compact sedan. The interior is more upscale than the previous model, with higher-quality materials and two-tone color schemes. And while a third rear seat was added in the 2016 model, bringing passenger capacity to five, a center console extension makes it almost impossible for anyone other than a small child to comfortably sit in it.

Interface and Connectivity

Fortunately, the redesign of the 2016 model did away with the difficult capacitive touch controls used in the first-generation Volt for infotainment and climate functions, and replaced them with knobs and switches. Supplementing these physical controls is the 8-inch Chevy MyLink touch-screen interface, which is easy to use and features sharp graphics and a logical menu structure.

In addition to infotainment functions, MyLink is also the main interface for energy usage info and charging settings, such as GPS-enabled location-based charging that's part of the Volt Premier's nav system. Whether you select to charge the battery at home or at work, or at a set time each day of the week, when plugged in the vehicle remembers the location via GPS and defaults to the preferred charging setting.

MyLink features just one streaming music app, Pandora, but iHeartRadio, Rdio, Spotify, and Stitcher are available through Apple CarPlay. CarPlay also supports non-music apps like Audible and MLB At Bat, and has calling and texting functions that outperform those that come with the car.

Similarly, CarPlay's Maps app has connected search capability and the Volt's built-in navigation doesn't. But the onboard nav provides a GPS-enabled, location-based charging feature and also displays maps and directions in the instrument panel and syncs with OnStar so destinations can be sent directly to the car.

Volt buyers get OnStar's basic plan for five years, which includes features such as vehicle diagnostics and dealer service alerts, as well as access to the OnStar RemoteLink app that allows locking/unlocking the car's doors, starting the engine, flashing the lights, finding the vehicle on a map, checking stats such as fuel level and tire inflation pressure, programming various battery-charging modes, and more. The 2017 Volt also comes with six months of other OnStar services such as automatic crash notification and live navigation assistance and three months or 3GB of data, whichever comes first, for in-car Wi-Fi.

Performance and Conclusions

While the Volt's primary selling points are eco-friendliness and fuel economy, you don't want to sacrifice performance. Acceleration is admirable in both electric and hybrid/gasoline mode, and the electric motor gives the car extra boost when passing and on inclines. The Volt has a quiet and smooth ride and adept handling on winding roads, although when pushed the limitations of the compliant suspension and economy-minded tires become obvious.

The Volt has four drive modes: Normal for everyday driving, Sport for quicker response, Mountain to reserve battery power on steep uphill roads, and Hold that engages the extended-range mode to save the battery power for use when it's more efficient. It also has a steering wheel-mounted paddle for extra brake regeneration, although that gives the car more of a jerky feeling.

That the Volt can go up to 53 miles on battery power means most owners can drive gas-free if they have short commutes. And unlike with pure EVs, there's no range anxiety since you can always switch to the gas engine, which achieves an impressive 42mpg on its own.

The alternative-fuel vehicle market has matured over the last five years, and PHEVs like the Kia Optima Plug-in Hybrid and the new Hyundai Ioniq have given the Volt some competition. But on a full charge, the 2017 Chevy Volt can realize almost twice as many electric-only miles as those rivals. And although the Kia offers more spacious cabins and other perks and the Ioniq is less expensive, the Chevy Volt is the first and still the best plug-in electric hybrid compact sedan. Improvements to the 2017 model make it even more attractive—and our Editor's Choice for the category.

About the Author

Doug Newcomb is a recognized expert on the subject of car technology within the auto industry and among the automotive and general media, and a frequent speaker at automotive and consumer electronics industry events. Doug began his career in 1988 at the car stereo trade publication Mobile Electronics, before serving as editor of the leading consumer magazines covering the topic, Car Audio and Electronics and Car Stereo Review/Mobile Entertainment/Road & Track Road Gear, from 1989 to 2005. In 2005 Doug started his own company, Newcomb Communications & Consulting, to provide content to such outlets as Road & Track, Popular Mechanics, MSN Autos, SEMA News, and many others. In 2008, he … See Full Bio